Shekvetili and the Black Sea Arena

Shekvetili is Ureki's quieter neighbour. It sits on the same belt of magnetic sand a few kilometres south, but between the road and the shore there is pine forest, planted in Soviet times and now tall and dense. That is the difference: in Ureki the guesthouses stand directly on the sand, while in Shekvetili the forest comes first. The sand here is black and magnetite-bearing, exactly as at Ureki. In May and June the air fills with resin and the temperature under the pines runs two or three degrees below the open beach — which matters if midday sun is a problem for your family. The second reason to come is the Black Sea Arena, an open-air concert complex opened in 2016 with capacity for more than ten thousand. The acoustics were designed seriously and the stage sits against forest and sea. The programme is concentrated in the summer months and each year brings at least a few large names. Outside those dates the complex is empty and there is nothing to look at. The practical picture: - Hotels and cottages in the pine woods, cheaper and quieter than Ureki - A wide beach with a gentle shelf, better for small children than Ureki - Seasonal cafes — half of them are shut from October to May On concert nights the road between Ureki and Shekvetili backs up and parking becomes a real problem; if you have tickets, arrive two hours early.

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